Make offering Gay Conversion Therapy a criminal offence in the UK

After events around the world such as the Orlando shootings and Trump's election, many members of the LGBT+ community no longer feel safe in the UK. This legislation would help these people feel safer and more able to be open about their true identity.

Conversion Therapy is counselling or training which attempts to 'reverse' a person's non-heterosexual identity. This therapy often includes electric shocks, counselors encouraging suicide, and damaging ideology linking LGBT+ identities to sexual abuse from family members in early years.

It is scientifically proven that this therapy does not work

Gay conversion therapy is an attempt to use therapeutic approaches to change a person’s sexual orientation. It is sometimes known as ‘reparative’ or ‘gay cure’ therapy. The Government fully recognise the importance of this issue and the adverse impact this treatment could have on lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people.

There is no evidence that this sort of treatment is beneficial, and indeed it may well cause significant harm to some patients. It is incumbent on professionals working in the National Health Service to ensure that treatment and care, including therapy, is provided to every patient without any form of discrimination.

This Government is committed to tackling discrimination towards LGB people.

That is why we have already worked with the main registration and accreditation bodies for psychotherapy and counselling practitioners, including the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), to develop first a consensus statement and then a Memorandum of Understanding committing signatory organisations to a range of activities including training and awareness raising amongst their members in relation to this issue. This Government has already taken the necessary steps to prevent the practice of gay conversion therapy in the UK.

Department of Health